His grin widened. “If you are trapped like this, your head is your best weapon,” he explained. “Throw it back into my face.”
“Wait, what?” she asked, her body stilling in his arms.
“Not full strength. Tilt your head back and see where you’d strike.”
She did as instructed, her skull lightly connecting with his nose.
His chest rumbled with approval, and he pressed a kiss against her temple. “Good girl.”
Iliana shivered.
“This would work on a human,” Anubis murmured near her ear. “And possibly on a lesser god or monster. If you strike fast enough, hard enough, you will make them loosen their hold. Then you go for the soft spots. The throat, eyes, inner thigh, groin, or gut.”
She nodded, swallowing roughly.
He didn’t let her dwell on it. He led her through drills, focusing on correct movements over speed and building her confidence. She repeatedly went through the motions of dropping and striking those soft areas with calculated efficiency.
By the time she reached full speed, her strikes were solid, her instincts sharper, but she was still too hesitant. Her headbutt against his nose barely had enough force to sting, even though he knew his eyes, if human, would’ve watered.
He loosened his grip to test her reaction, and she didn’t hesitate. She dropped, spun, and twisted her wooden dagger into his gut, rolling away before he could grab her again.
A wide grin broke across her face as she threw her hands up. “Finally!”
Anubis laughed as he grabbed her by the waist and spun them around. She gasped and giggled in delight. When he set her back on her feet, he stole a quick kiss, catching her smile against his lips.
Iliana rested against him, laughing.
His grin turned predatory. “Now, let us see if you remember how to escape when pinned to the ground.”
He swept her legs out from under her before she could react. She yelped as she dropped fast, but he supported her head, softening the impact when he followed her to the mat.
Still, she let out a huff of air as she hit the ground. “A little warning would be nice!”
He knew he was crossing the line between training and wanting; between teaching and claiming. But with her beneath him, looking up with hunger in her eyes, he couldn’t seem to bring himself to care. This was still teaching. Just a different kind of lesson.
“Where is the fun in that?” he asked with a grin, locking her wrists above her head. He settled his weight atop her, claiming the space between her thighs. Then he gave the challenge. “Escape.”
Iliana reacted immediately, attempting to buck her hips and twist away, but she didn’t get far. Her brows knitted together as she attempted move after move, but he remained where he was.
He leaned in, taunting her. “If I did not know better, I would think you were trying to stay pinned under me.”
Her eyes darkened. He saw the exact moment she changed tactics. He barely had time to register her plan before she pushed up and kissed him.Not soft or teasing. Her kiss was a full-on assault. Lips demanding, and her body arching into his.
Cunning little thing.
He growled. She was playing dirty, and it was working.
His mouth parted, letting himself fall into her insistent mouth. She tasted like adrenaline, sweetness, and fire. It drove him crazy.
She placed a knee on his chest and a foot on his hip, attempting to use the leverage to push off and shift his balance. It wasn’t the right move, but it was clever. Anubis still had her arms pinned, but she’d gained just enough ground to shift his balance.
He should’ve corrected her. Reset their position. Made her adjust her form. But he didn’t want to move. He was enjoying this too much.
Instead, he moved his weight onto one elbow, hovering above her. “You are amazing, you know that?”
He meant it. It wasn’t just her body or the way she responded to him, though that was incredible. It was her. The way she kept fighting even when she was scared, and how she trusted him enough to be vulnerable. The way she’d called his role beautiful instead of terrifying.
Even as she held his gaze, he saw her blush. She enjoyed hearing his words. “No…”
